A variety of environments and facilities use lighting system technology to aid in operating light fixtures to illuminate a space. Certain lighting control systems can be configured to regulate and monitor a light fixture, the level of illumination provided by the fixture, and/or the duration of illumination of the light fixture. Integrating a sensor into a lighting system enables an environment to be partially or fully illuminated only when occupied, during peak-demand periods, or whenever otherwise desired by an end user. In addition to these functional benefits, such lighting systems are more energy efficient, reduce electrical power consumption, extend the lifetime of equipment, and are cost-effective.
FIG. 1 depicts a conventional, prior art lighting system 100 that includes a sensor 102 specifically configured to provide power, via a mains power source 104, to a lamp assembly 106 to illuminate a physical space. The lamp assembly 106 includes a driver or ballast 108 and a lamp 110. Generally, the power source 104, the sensor 102, and the lamp assembly 106 are wired together by conventional wiring in the manner depicted in FIG. 1, with neutral and ground wires (112 and 114, respectively) electrically coupling the power source 104 and the lamp assembly 106. A voltage carrying (“hot”) wire 116 carries power from the power source 104 to the sensor 102 to power the sensor, which selectively allows power from the power source 104 to flow to the lamp assembly 106 via a switched wire 118 (i.e., the sensor 102 acts as a switch). In some cases, the sensor 102 may also have a ground wire (not shown).
When the sensing device detects motion or occupancy, a switch in the sensor 102 closes to conduct power from the hot wire 116 to the switched wire 118, powering the lamp assembly 106. In some sensors 102, a delay timer can be programmed to switch off the power to the lamp assembly 106 after a programmed delay time expires without detected motion or occupancy, while in other sensors, the delay time is fixed (or there is no delay time).
In general, the installation of any additional control components requires rewiring of the system 100 and, in many instances, replacing the sensor 102 and/or the lamp assembly 106 with a component designed specifically to be interoperable with the additional control components.